Informal Meeting of the EU Heads of State or Government: press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas upon arrival
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Good morning,
It is really a pleasure to be back in Copenhagen.
Today we have two big topics that we are going to talk about: one is defence and the other is Ukraine.
On defence, we have already done a lot, provided several financial instruments. And now we are also discussing the roadmap, how we can actually nudge Member States to work more closely together, and to join projects and really meet their capability targets that they have in NATO, as well.
On Ukraine, of course, we are all wanting peace and ceasefire. That is why we are putting more pressure on Russia. We have put forward the 19th package of sanctions. We are also discussing a reparations loan from the frozen assets, so that that we can really help Ukraine to defend themselves in this difficult situation. And we see Russia clearly escalating with the different types of incursions that they are doing.
Q&A.
Q. [inaudible]
Of course, it's not attributed, but the pattern is very clear: that the hybrid attacks across Europe have been really escalating. Like NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, “it's not hybrid attacks, but state-sponsored terrorism”. And we need to be very firm to respond to that.
Q. Do you suspect Russia is behind it?
It is up to the Member State to attribute, due to the evidence. If Denmark, has not said that, then I am not willing to say that, either.
Q. [inaudible] There’s a lot of talk about the drone wall right now. Experts say it's going to take a lot of years. Do you think that we are on track of actually building a real defence against drones?
On Friday, we had a very good meeting with the Ukrainians and also the Eastern flank Member States regarding the drone wall. And the Ukrainians have been able to build this quite quickly. They were showing what kind of sensors do you need, what kind of different lines do you need. And they also have the drone production in Ukraine, and it can be also extended to Europe. So, if there is a will there is a way. We can do it, also faster, but of course it requires funding.
Q. How do you see Denmark's role in building such a security measure as a drone wall? What kind of capacities does Denmark have?
Denmark has been instrumental in working together with the Ukraine defence industry and also helping the Ukraine defence industry. I think there is a lot of possibilities to also bring the industry to Europe, to different parts of Europe, including Denmark, so that we can bring the procurement times down, bring the prices down and really get it up fast.
Q. [inaudible]
We are working on the reparations loan, to move as fast as possible. But, of course, not all Member States are there. It is not supported by everybody yet. So, there is still a lot of work to do. I cannot put the deadline, and we are trying to do [it] as fast as possible.
Q. Do you see possibility to unlock accession process, also to allow Ukraine to start negotiations in the foreseeable future?
We are working on that as well. That requires also discussion regarding our working methods – that is planned also in October in the Foreign Affairs Council, as well as the [European] Council that is happening in October.
Q. Is there a risk that the reparation loan would be paid by taxpayers in the Member States [inaudible]?
No, the reparation loan is based on the frozen assets. It is based on the Russian assets, actually. And the system is so that if Russia does not pay the reparations to Ukraine, then these assets are not given back. If Russia decides, after this war is over, to repay all the damages that they have caused, then of course, these assets will be given back, and this loan is not there. But if we do not take those assets into account then it is on our taxpayers, that is for sure.
Q. Is there any way to mobilise, to seize these Russian assets in a way that is not breaching the law?
The law says very clearly, the basic principle of international law is that you have to cover the damages you have caused. And that is the basis of that. Russia is causing tremendous damage in Ukraine right now, and it is not right that anybody else should pay for it than Russia. That is the basis of the law. When we have to develop the rules further, we can do that – like we have done with the international tribunals, like we have done with many things that did not exist before. So, we need to do that.
Q. But aren’t we running a huge risk by sending a bad signal to people who would like to put money and invest in Europe if those assets can be seized [inaudible]?
If you do not start the war against another country, then you are out of the risk. And I think the majority of countries, the majority of the people, the majority of the companies in the world will not start wars against other countries.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-277971